NeoGarden Hype!

So, what's the big buzz about this year in Neopia?

Gardening!

Near and far, everyone in Neopia is already planning and plotting out their garden adventures for the biggest flower festival we've seen yet! It's all part of the 'Make Neopia Beautiful' campaign, where Neopets come together to make the spring the most beautiful sight it possibly can be. What better way to do it than planting a beautiful assortment of flowers for the world to see? So, it's time to get your green thumb ready and prepare for the biggest spring event this year!

Of course, it's not a one-set process! It takes a lot of time and love to take care of these beautiful flowers if you want them to last through the summer and into fall. So, let's get started with some tips on how to begin your new Neogarden adventure.

First off, it's important to know what you want to put into your Neogarden. Any good gardener will want to have a general idea of what flowers they want to plant before they actually get around to any prepping of their garden. This way they can have an idea of just how much space to allocate for their flowers and how many flowers they'll be planting in the space they've made.

Here in Neopia, there's an abundance of breeds that will suit any Neopets' taste in décor, from the lovely Cineraria, the Cloud Meerca flower, or even the Mighty Merigolds. Whatever it is that you enjoy, there's certainly a flower that will make you smile when you see it fully grown. So go out there and find some flowers that you really enjoy and want in your garden!

It's good to mix and match colors together, so your garden will look amazingly bright and cheerful by time everything's finished growing. So this could mean throwing in some purples and blues, or some reds and whites. Any colors that you think will go great and give your garden the feeling you're going for. No matter what, your garden will look spectacular!

As an addition, you may also find yourself wanting to add in some decorations to your garden, such as garden gnomes or pinwheels, or something even more spectacular! Whatever it is that you think will give your garden that little 'extra' something, go for it. Big or little, put as much effort as you want into your garden décor!

After that is the actual hard work part of this process. Gardening isn't backbreaking work, but it takes a bit of time and effort to pluck any weeds out of the soil and to then cultivate it. Fertilizer isn't always a must, but it can really help your plants grow stronger and healthier than ever before; so it's strongly recommended.

You'll want to take your fertilizer and pour it over your de-weeded planting soil, and then use a rake or a gardening spade to mix it all together. This can take a little while to do it this way, but once you've got the mixture all put together, you're ready to get planting all of the seeds you picked out from before. This is the part where you decide which flowers you want to put where and how you want to color-code them.

So, here are some tips on what to do if you're planting seeds or if you're directly transplanting a flower that's already pre-grown, into your garden.

If you've decided to go the rout of planting your own seeds, you'll want to pay close attention to the directions provided with the seeds! Each one is different, but many of the packages will tell you the distance to plant the seeds apart, how much to water, and finally what to do when they sprout and begin to gain their first 'true' set of leaves. Each of these steps is important to follow if you want a garden that thrives. The saplings may wilt if you don't follow these directions!

If you decided to transplant some flowers into your garden instead, then there are other steps you need to follow. The most important thing to do when transplanting flowers into your garden is to be very, very careful when moving the plant from its pot. You don't want to accidentally hurt the plant you're transplanting, so you have to slowly remove the plant with the soil it comes with. First, dig a hole big enough to fit the entire potted plant. Holding onto the soil inside the pot, turn it upside down and give a gentle shake. The soil should come out in one big piece, which is perfect for burying in the hole previously made.

Many flowers that have been planted from seeds will begin to first sprout within a week to two weeks. Seeing all your hard work in the garden will definitely make you feel accomplished and good. Just keep watering your plants like normal and make sure they get lots of sunshine, so they have the energy they need to grow big and tall. Eventually, they'll begin growing their 'true' leaves and once they do, we move on to the next step in your garden!

The next step is called 'thinning'. This is where we pluck out a few of the sprouts to make room for the bigger and stronger ones. Again this depends for every breed of flower, so it's good to consult the packaging your flowers' seeds came in. The flowers' roots need space to grow and get their nutrition, so this is also a really crucial step. If you don't thin them out, the sprouts will compete for nutrients in the soil and some will end up wilting!

After thinning your plants, you're in the home stretch! Just make sure you water your plants every day and keep an eye on them. They'll definitely thrive and flourish into a beautiful array of flowers for all to see as long as you show them lots of love. If you continue to take good care of them throughout all of the seasons, many of your flowers should continue to bloom all the way into autumn! What a beautiful thought!

Happy gardening, everyone!